Sweet Potato Chickpea Gnocchi with Gorgonzola
Gnocchi di Patate Dolci e Ceci al Gorgonzola
Serves 6 to 8
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peel left on (about 10 ounces each)
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 11/2 cups chickpea flour
- 11/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working the dough and dusting
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 11/2 cups heavy cream
- 6 ounces Gorgonzola Dolce, crumbled
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano
Put the unpeeled sweet potatoes in a pot with salted water to cover. Boil until tender, about 20 minutes (don’t overcook, or they’ll take in too much water and the gnocchi will be dense). Drain well. While they’re still hot, peel them and press them through a ricer onto the counter in a single layer. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, and let them cool completely.
When the potatoes are cooled, gather them into a mound and make an indentation in the center. Add the ricotta, egg, and nutmeg, and begin mixing with a fork, pulling the sweet potato into the egg little by little. Add the chickpea flour and 11/2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Mix with the fork to form a dough; then begin to knead it with floured hands and a bench scraper to bring the dough together. If it is still very wet, add more flour, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough forms a slightly sticky but cohesive ball.
Dust two rimmed baking sheets with flour, and divide the dough into six portions, keeping all the pieces you’re not working on covered with a kitchen towel as you go. Roll one piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, and cut it into 1/2-inch segments. Roll each segment into a rough ball in your floured hands. Press and roll each segment down the curved side of a fork to make a ridged gnoccho with an indentation on one side. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it’s boiling, add the gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi have gone into the water, set a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Once the butter is sizzling, add the cream and a ladle-full of pasta water. Bring this mixture to a boil. Simmer until it’s r educed by almost half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir the gnocchi, and simmer until they’re cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes from the time they rise to the surface.
Scoop the gnocchi out of the water with a spider strainer, and add them to the simmering sauce. Add the Gorgonzola. Toss to coat them in the sauce, adding a little pasta water if it seems dry. Off heat, sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano, toss, and serve immediately.
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